Method and apparatus for winding coreless bobbins



Dec. 3, 1963 J. H. PARKINS 111 3,112,896

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING CORELESS BOBBINS Filed D60. 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l SL- INVENTOR. 33 FlG'.-2- JOHN H. PARKINSIII ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1963 J. H. PARKINS lll METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING CORELESS BOBBINS Filed Dec. 18. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ,JOHN H. PARKINS,I[I

ATTORNEY United States Patent METHGD AND APPARATUS F1111 WENDKNG CORELESS lBGBElNS John H. Parking llll Greenviile, 5.11., assignor to Deering Millikan Resemch Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 169,362 4 Claims. 31. 242-118) This invention relates to an improved textile bobbin winding method and apparatus for winding of coreless bobbins adapted for use in the shuttles on schiffii embroidery or lace-making machines.

In the art of making lace or embroidery work on a schitlii loom, it is conventional to employ a large number of small shuttles in which are disposed correspondingly small bottle-shaped coreless bobbins. It has long been conventional practice to form such bobbins from cotton or other material staple fibers, and the manufacture of such bottle-shaped bobbins from cotton yarn has been satisfactorily achieved with conventional schiffli bobbinw-inding apparatus. However, with the advent of continuous filament synthetic yarns, such as nylon, the formation of suitable bottle-shaped :coreless schifili bobbins of such yarns has posed a very difficult problem for this art. Particularly, the slick nature of this yarn hm resulted in the ends of the bobbin running over and sloughing off, rather than staying in the desired laid position on the yarn package surface, and consequently the resulting bobbins have been by and large of substantially little or no use. While it has been attempted to solve this problem by applying a coating of wax to the yarn in order to improve its adhesion, this has not been entirely satisfactory, as the resulting bobbins have still had a poor shape, and further, inasmuch as it is desirable that the yarn insofar as is possible be free of such coatings as wax or the like.

it is accordingly a major feature of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for forming coreless schiifli bobbins, from synthetic filament yarns, such as nylon, Dacron, etc., with or without wax or other surface coatings on the yarn.

The present invention is readily adaptable to and particularly of value with conventional precision Wind schiflii-bobbin-forming apparatus and methods.

Still other features and attendant advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of several modes of practicing my invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view illustrating the practice of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view of a portion of the arrangement of FIGURE 1, viewed in end elevation from the end of the winding spindle.

FIGURES 3-7 are schematic illustrations showing various stages in the winding of a bobbin according to the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic view in perspective of a bobbin-forming shoe as employed in the arrangement of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 9-11 illustrate modified bobbin-forming shoe constructions.

Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, as is conventional practice in the formation of schiffli bobbins, yarn is fed from a supply package '11 through a suitable tension device 13 and stationary guide 15 to a traverse guide in the forming of an oscillating arm '17 having a yarn guide slot 17a formed therein adjacent a take-up spindle 19. The take-up spindle 19 is conventionally supported in a bearing arrangement generally indicated at 21 and is free at its outer end 19a. The spindle 19 is conventionally of sufficient length to accommodate 3,112,895 Patented Dec. 3, 1963 two bobbins thereon, being formed at its outer free end 19a with a slot 1% which serves to provide a temporary anchor for yarn on initial startup and also to facilitate the removal of coreless bobbins from this outer free end The spindle 19 is rotatably driven as through the medium of a rotary motion drive 23, operatively connected to the spindle 19 as by a suitable mechanical connection generally indicated at 25. The oscillating traverse guide arm 17 is suitably mounted in a hearing as indicated at 27, and may be suitably oscillatably driven at a desired ratio of oscillation relative to the rate of rotation of the spindle 19 as by connection thereof to the main drive 23 through a rotary-to-oscillatory motion translating means 29 and intermediate mechanical connections generally indicated at 31. To the end that the bobbin which is formed on the spindle 19 will have a precision wind, it is conventional practice to maintain a specific ratio of oscillations of the arm 17 with respect to the rotation of the spindle 19, such that each succeeding winding will be laid closely adjacent to the preceding winding. For instance, the rat-io of traverse of the traverse guide arm 17 with respect to the rotation of the spindle 19 may be very slightly more or slightly less than one-to-one.

It is conventional practice in the formation of cotton yarn bobbins of this type to employ a fiat upper surface foot as shown generally at 33, the flat upper surface of which foot resiliently engages with the bobbin surface as the bobbin is built up to the desired diameter. This foot 33 has a fiat surface in the conventional form thereof, serving only as a detector of the bobbin size in order to effect a dofilng of the bobbin upon the reaching of the desired bobbin diameter. To this end, it is conventional practice to spring mount the shoe 33: as on a spring mounting with a resilient upward bias being exerted thereon, as generally schematically indicated at 35, at all positions of the foot below the quiescent position thereof illustrated in FTGURE 1.

The shoe 33 is suitably mechanically interconnected to a doll motion generally indicated at 37. The doll motion is of conventional construction and is so arranged that upon the movement of the foot 33 away from the spindle 19 by a given distance the doff motion 37 will effect the movement of a dofflng arm 39 to cause the bobbin B being wound to be moved from the winding position to a secondary position adjacent the outer free end 1911 of the spindle 19. To this end, the bobbin doffing arm 39 is slidable along the spindle 19 from the position shown in FIGURE 1 to a position somewhat to the left of the bobbin B as shown in this figure. This movement and retraction of the dolfing arm 39 may be by positive or spring actuated, or both, as in accordance with conventional practice. As in conventional practice, the dofling of one bobbin from the winding position and the return of the doffer arm 39 permits the immediate starting of the winding of a new bobbin at the winding position. After completion of this bobbin, such bobbin is moved to the left as seen in FIGURE 1 and the bobbin which was previously moved to this secondary location will thereby be dolled from the free end of the spindle.

The mounting for the foot 33 is conventionally so arranged that upon downward movement of the foot 33 and its mounting (not shown) to the position at which the dofier motion 37 is actuated, the foot 33 is again raised to its normal original quiescent position adjacent the spindle 19, as shown in FIGURE 1. This normal quiescent position of the foot 33 is conventionally adjustable, as by adjustment of the mounting therefor, which likewise adjusts the point at which the doif motion 37 will be actuated.

In conventional practice of winding natural staple fiber yarns, such as cotton, into schiffii bobbins by such appa- 3,1 3 ratus as described above, it has been quite satisfactory to employ a shoe or foot 33 with a flat upper surface for engagement with the bobbin B, and such has been the conventional practice as noted above. Thus, the contact of this fiat upper surface of the foot 33 by the cotton bobbin periphery as the bobbin is built up, and the corresponding downward movement of the foot as a function of build-up of the diameter of the bobbin is normally effective and satisfactory effective to actuate the doff motion 37 and to cause stopping of the bobbin upon the desired bobbin being obtained. However, in the instance of forming bobbins B from synthetic filament yarns, such as nylon, Dacron, etc., due to the slick surface of these synthetic filament yarns it has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to form a suitable schiffii bobbin on conventional apparatus employing a foot 33 with a fiat bobbin-engagable surface. Primarily, this apparently has been caused by the very slick nature of the filament yarn surface and the consequent inherent tendency of such yarn to slough ofi the ends of the desired bobbin configuration and the lateral sliding displacement of the yarn windings particularly at the ends of the bobbin. This tendency of the yarn to slough and slip at the ends of the bobbin and even along the inner portion of the bobbin has been accentuated by the contact of the outer surface of the bobbin with the fiat bobbin contacting surface of the conventional bobbin diameter detecting foot 33. Thus, the contact of this foot with the central larger diameter portion of the bobbin B has had the effect of flattening this portion of the bobbin to such a point that the desired bottle-build shape has been substantially destroyed when winding such continuous filament yarns as nylon, etc. Also, even when the foot 33 has been completely removed from engagement from the bobbin B during its build it has been extremely difficult, even substantially impossible, to form a satisfactory bobbin B from such slick-surfaced continuous filament yarn, due to the slipping tendency of the yarns and the consequent sloughing off of the yarn at the ends thereof, as well as the displacement of the yarns from the desired lay position thereof in the central portion of the bobbin.

According to this invention, this inherent difiiculty with the continuous filament synthetic yarns is obviated by incorporating an improved foot arrangement generally indicated at 41, which serves to engage the opposite ends of the bobbin, preferably during the latter portion only of the bobbin build, and which engagement with the bobbin causes the exertion of oblique end forces thereon. The exertion of these oblique end forces on the opposite circumferential and axial end zone surfaces of the bobbin during its build is effected to substantially obviate the further sloughing off of the yarn at the opposite ends of the bobbin, as Well as tending to exert an axial restraining force tending to maintain the desired bobbin length which should result from the particular traverse stroke of the traverse arm 17. As a consequence of this endwise exertion of oblique forces on opposite ends of the bobbin, the desired convex bottle-build of the bobbin is effected, while the dual purpose of detecting bobbin diameter is likewise effected through the downward movement of the auxiliary foot 41 and the conventional foot 33 to cause eventual actuation of the doff motion 37. The conventional foot 33 is adjustable, as mentioned above, to cause actuation of the doff motion 37 at a given desired position of the foot 33 relative to the spindle 19. In order to accommodate the additional auxiliary foot 41 it is only necessary to adjust the foot 33 and the doff motion 37 in the conventional manner so that upon the reaching of the desired bobbin diameter, as measured at the end portions of the bobbin as contacted by the foot 41, the doff motion 37 will be actuated to effect movement of the doff arm 39 to doff position and return.

In order to prevent the possibility of the doffing arm 39 from catching on the left hand end of the foot 41 during its return stroke to the quiescent position, the left hand end of the foot 41, as viewed in FIGURE 1, may suitably have an inclined cam sunface 41f which will be effective to cause a displacement of the foot 41 downwardly in the event of contact of the arm 39 upon the return stroke the eof during dofling. It is normally not necessary to have such cam surface on the end of the foot 41 adjacent the doffing arm 39, inasmuch as the foot is conventionally locked down, as described above, by the conventional lock down mechanism, not shown, upon reaching of the desired bobbin diameter at the beginning of the dofling operation, but is released after a portion of the dofhng operation is effected.

As shown in more detail in FIGURE 8, the auxiliary foot 41 may desirably have a side slot therein for mounting engagement with the upper flange 33a of the foot 33. One or more set screws 41b may extend through the bottom of the foot 41 for securing of this auxiliary foot to the foot 33. The upper surface 410 of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 17 is concave and has a radius of curvature which is smaller than the radius of curvature of the completed bobbin outer surface, whereby the contact of the surface 410 with the bobbin will be effected at the end zones of the bobbin. Further, this smaller radius of curvature of the contact surface 410 relative to the bobbin surface curvature has the effect of exerting opposing complex forces on the opposite end surfaces of the bobbin, each of which opposite complex forces has both a transverse force component and a component extending parallel to the axis of the bobbin and opposing the corresponding component of the force exerted on the opposite end of the bobbin. The ultimate effect of the exertion of these oblique forces on the opposite ends of the bobbin in this manner is to obviate the inherent tendency of the yarn to slide off the ends and to obviate the uncontrolled elongation of the bobbin due to such end sliding and internal sliding as may occur when winding such bobbins from yarn of this type without the exertion of such oblique end forces. A further advantage of employing this auxiliary foot in this manner is the accomplishment of the dual function of preventing yarn slipping and maintaining the desired overall bottle-build bobbin shape, as well as partially modifying the bobbin shape at the end contact zones, while also detecting the attainment of the desired bobbin diameter and actuating of the doff motion 37 by one and the same bobbin surface contacting device 41.

The operation of this auxiliary foot 4 1 to effect the desired convex bottle-shaped bobbin configuration is schematically shown in FIGURES 3-7, some of the proportions being somewhat exaggerated in order to illustrate the various facets of the invention. As shown in FIGURE 3, the traverse stroke of the traverse guide 17, Which is constant, is effective during the initial winding period to Wind 8. generally bottle-shaped configuration of relatively short length, this lengtn continuing to become longer as the bobbin surface approaches the arcuate path of the yarn traverse arm 17. In these figures the path of the yarn guide arm is schematically illustrated by the arcuate oppositely extending arrow line 117, and the path of the yarn at opposite ends of the traverse stroke is indicated in broken lines at Y. As seen in each of FIGURES 3 and 4, during the initial winding phases of the bobbin onto the spindle 1? there is preferably no contact between the foot 41 and the bobbin sur ace. As shown schematically in FIGURE 4-, after some initial buildup of bobbin diameter, the end portions may begin to assume a slightly high angle sloped configuration. During these initial stages of the formation of the bobbin, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, any sloughing and sliding tendency of the yarn is not critical, and it is not necessary to have the foot 41 exert any oblique forces on the bobbin ends. However, when the bobbin assumes a size approximately as shown in FzGURES 5 and 6, it becomes desirable to begin the exertion of oblique cnd forces on the bobbin to retard or prevent further slipping of the yarn and sloughing off at the ends. To this end, the foot ll is preferably positioned to initially contact the bobbin surface at approximately this stage in tl e formation of the bobbin, although if desired, such may be effected at an earlier stage in the formation.

As shown in PEGURE 5, it is sometimes desirable to effect the contact of one end B of the bobbin with the corresponding portion of the surface 41c prior to contact between the opposite end B of the bobbin and the corre sponding portion of the surface die, in order to shape the first contacted end B of the bobbin to a slightly smaller ultimate diameter than the opposite end B thereof. After a short period of further winding, the opposite end B will contact the corresponding portion of the surface dlc, as shown in FIGURE 6, whereupon sloughing and sliding action is prevented at both ends of the bobbin, and the further formation of the bobbin build will be effected with a tendency of both of the ends of the bobbin to conform to the curvature of the correspondirrg contacted portions of the surface 4 1s. Thus, the bobbin will continue to be formed, until such time as the desired bobbin diameter is reached, as shown in FIGURE 7, whereupon the cleft motion 3'7 will be actuated to cause movement of the doll arm 3-9, and a new bobbin will then be started. It will be noted from each of FIGURES 37 that at no time during the formation of the bobbin does the entire surface of the bobbin, including particularly the larger diameter central portion thereof, come into contact with the surface die. This relationship has been found to be particularly advantageous, inasmuch as the primary fonces which are neces sary for effecting the desired maintaining of the bobbin build convexity are those oblique forces exerted at the opposite ends of the bobbin, rather than any transverse forces at the central portion of the bobbin surface. Thus, in carrying out the invention it is preferable only to have the opposite end zones of the bobbin contacted by force exerting means, and not to contact the central surface portion of the bobbin.

The foot td may be modified, as for instance as shown in FIGURE 9 in which a foot 14 1 is formed with two separated concave surfaces 1410 and 1410', there being a cut-out depression formed between the surfaces 1411c and 1 4 10, the two opposite ends of the foot being interconnected by a. web portion indicated at 14101. The two surfaces 1410 and ll ilc serve to engage the opposite ends B and B of the bobbin as shown in FIGURES 5-7, and the operation of the overall apparatus and modified foot arrangement is substantially identical to that illustrated in FIGURES 1-7.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGURE 10, the oblique end force effecting means may take the form of two separate feet 2 41a, 241b, each of which may have set screws M ld for attachment to the upper lip or flange of the foot 33. The surface 241e, 24 1c of these respective feet serve to engage the opposite ends of the bobbin B similarly to the engagement in PlGURES 5 and 6.

As a further alternative embodiment, though not in some instances as desirable, the foot may assume a form as shown at 341 in FIGURE 11, in which the end force exerting faces 3 11c and 3 110 are straight surfaced and inclined to one another and the axis of the bobbin.

As an example of the practice of this invention, with a traverse stroke of the traverse arm 17 and a position of the guide eye 17a of this arm relative to the spin le 1-9 such that a conventional cotton yarn bobbin would be formed with an outer surface curvature of two inches radius and a length of 1% inches, a curvature of 1 /2 inch radius for the surface 41c has been found satisfactory. In such an instance, the conventional radius of the arc of traverse of the guide slot 17:: as shown at 1.17 in FIGURES 5-6 is approximately 3 /2 inches, this being the effective lever arm length of the traverse arm 17. Also, in such instance, the traverse stroke length is found 6 to be approximately inch longer than the finished bobbin length.

While several embodiments and modes of practice of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other modes, modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For instance, while the surfaces which contact the ends of the bobbins in FEGURES 9 and 1C, are illustrated as concave, and such is preferable, such may also be fiat, or one end flat and one end concave, the oblique fiat surface being disposed at approximately the same overall angle as the chord of the arc which would be formed by the corresponding concave surfaces. Also, while it is preferable to exert these oblique end forces on the opposite ends of the bobbin through a foot which also detects bobbin size and actuates the doff motion, one may alternatively employ such oblique force exerting means separately from the doff motion or without employment of a doif motion. Further, while the illustrated mode of practicing the invention discloses the exertion of a force on one end of the bobbin prior to the exertion of a corresponding opposing force on the opposite end thereof in order to shape the one end somewhat differently from the opposite end, it will be apparent that both ends may be contacted simultaneously and the forces exerted thereon at the same time, if so desired. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments illustrated and described herein, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A process for traverse winding precision wind coreless bottle-build bobbins of a predetermined shape, particularly of slick surfaced synthetic filaments, which com prises exerting a force on each of the opposite end Zones only of the surface of the bobbin during the latter portion of the winding of said bobbin, said forces being directed obliquely to the bobbin axis and having opposing compressive components on said bobbin both transverse and parallel to the bobbin axis, so as to control end slippage and sloughing of yarn during formation of said bobbin, by urging the bobbins during building to assume a shape different from said predetermined shape.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises increasing the area of application of said forces as a function of the degree of build size of the bobbin during Winding, whereby the bobbin surface at said end zones is also shaped by the application of said forces.

3. The method according to claim 2, which comprises exerting one of said forces earlier than the other of said forces and maintaining the area of application of said one force greater during the build of the bobbin than the area of application of said other force.

4. Ooreless schiffli bobbin winding apparatus compris ing a bobbin supporting and winding spindle, means for rotating such spindle, yarn traverse means adjacent said spindle for building a bobbin of a predetermined shape, and inclined bobbin-contacting elements having endfiorce-exerting surfaces spaced from said spindle and disposed at respectively facing acute angles to the axis of said spindle so as to maintain tangential contact with the end portions only of the bobbin outer surface during the building of the bobbin, for exerting external compressive forces both transverse and parallel to the axis of said bobbin on said end portions of said bobbin, which urge said bobbin to assume a shape different from said predetermined shape.

Rotter July 18, 1911 Belz Nov. 23, 1915 

4. CORELESS SCHIFFI BOBBIN WINDING APPARATUS COMPRISING A BOBBIN SUPPORTING AND WINDING SPINDLE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SUCH SPINDLE, YARN TRAVERSE MEANS ADJACENT SAID SPINDLE FOR BUILDING A BOBBIN OF A PREDETERMINED SHAPE, AND INCLINED BOBBIN-CONTACTING ELEMENTS HAVING ENDFORCE-EXERTING SURFACES SPACED FROM SAID SPINDLE AND DISPOSED AT RESPECTIVELY FACING ACUTE ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF SAID SPINDLE SO AS TO MAINTAIN TANGENTIAL CONTACT WITH THE END PORTIONS ONLY OF THE BOBBIN OUTER SURFACE DURING THE BUILDING OF THE BOBBIN, FOR EXERTING EXTERNAL COMPRESSIVE FORCES BOTH TRANSVERSE AND PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID BOBBIN ON SAID END PORTIONS OF SAID BOBBIN, WHICH URGE SAID BOBBIN TO ASSUME A SHAPE DIFFERENT FROM SAID PREDETERMINED SHAPE. 